Sunday, April 15, 2012

Student demostrates thermal storage from regolith

Rock star ... Aaron Bonanno used powder from a local quarry to simulate
moon dust as he looks to develop a solar energy system that could be
used on the moon [Dallas Kilponen / Brisbane Times].

Jen Rosenberg
Brisbane Times

IMAGINE if you could harness the sun's energy to power the moon.

Aaron Bonanno has found a way to make the improbable possible and has designed a renewable energy system to power a futuristic moon colony.

The boy who soaked up anything to do with space, travel and exploration is now a fourth-year university student about to appear before a conference of some of the finest space engineers to present his findings.
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The American Society for Civil Engineers has invited Mr. Bonanno to explain his research at the Earth and Space 2012 Conference in California this weekend.

Using basalt from a quarry on the central coast to simulate moon dust, he has developed solar thermal energy blocks that are lightweight and easy to transport and store.